Cognitive test scores in young men and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular morbidity, and death.

BACKGROUND: The association between cognitive scores in young adulthood and long-term cardiometabolic risks remains unclear. METHODS: Using population-based registries, we followed 6502 military conscripts from their 22nd birthday until death, emigration, or 55 years of age. We calculated risks and hazard ratios (HRs) associating quartiles of cognitive scores (very high, high, moderate, and low) with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism, and death before age 55 years. RESULTS: The 33-year risk of the combined outcome was inversely associated with cognitive scores (26% for low and 16% for very high scores). Compared with very high scores, the HR for the combined outcome was 1.20 (95% confidence interval = 1.02, 1.41) for high, 1.43 (1.22, 1.68) for moderate, and 1.67 (1.43, 1.95) for low scores. Similar HRs were observed for individual outcomes. CONCLUSION: Low cognitive score in young adulthood was a strong predictor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular morbidity, and death before 55 years of age.

Obesity in young men, and individual and combined risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular morbidity and death before 55 years of age: a Danish 33-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI) in young adulthood and cardiovascular risks, including venous thromboembolism, before 55 years of age. DESIGN: Cohort study using population-based medical databases. SETTING: Outcomes registered from all hospitals in Denmark from 1977 onwards. PARTICIPANTS: 6502 men born in 1955 and eligible for conscription in Northern Denmark. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Follow-up began at participants' 22nd birthday and continued until death, emigration or 55 years of age, whichever came first. Using regression analyses, we calculated the risks and HRs, adjusting for cognitive test score and years of education. RESULTS: 48% of all obese young men (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)) were either diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke or venous thromboembolism or died before reaching 55 years of age. Comparing obese men with normal weight men (BMI 18.5 to <25.0 kg/m(2)), the risk difference for any outcome was 28% (95% CI 19% to 38%) and the HR was 3.0 (95% CI 2.3 to 4.0). Compared with normal weight, obesity was associated with an event rate that was increased more than eightfold for type 2 diabetes, fourfold for venous thromboembolism and twofold for hypertension, myocardial infarction and death. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of young men, obesity was strongly associated with adverse cardiometabolic events before 55 years of age, including venous thromboembolism. Compared with those of normal weight, young obese men had an absolute risk increase for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular morbidity or premature death of almost 30%.

Hospitalization with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and associated health resource utilization: a population-based Danish cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Health resource utilization (HRU) and outcomes associated with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are not well described. Therefore, a population-based cohort study was conducted to characterize patients hospitalized with AECOPD with regard to HRU, mortality, recurrence, and predictors of readmission with AECOPD. METHODS: Using Danish healthcare databases, this study identified COPD patients with at least one AECOPD hospitalization between 2005-2009 in Northern Denmark. Hospitalized AECOPD patients' HRU, in-hospital mortality, 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, and 180-day post-discharge mortality and recurrence risk, and predictors of readmission with AECOPD in the year following study inclusion were characterized. RESULTS: This study observed 6612 AECOPD hospitalizations among 3176 prevalent COPD patients. Among all AECOPD hospitalizations, median length of stay was 6 days (interquartile range [IQR] 3-9 days); 5 days (IQR 3-9) among those without ICU stay and 11 days (IQR 7-20) among the 8.6% admitted to the ICU. Mechanical ventilation was provided to 193 (2.9%) and non-invasive ventilation to 479 (7.2%) admitted patients. In-hospital mortality was 5.6%. Post-discharge mortality was 4.2%, 7.8%, 10.5%, and 17.4% at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days, respectively. Mortality and readmission risk increased with each AECOPD hospitalization experienced in the first year of follow-up. Readmission at least twice in the first year of follow-up was observed among 286 (9.0%) COPD patients and was related to increasing age, male gender, obesity, asthma, osteoporosis, depression, myocardial infarction, diabetes I and II, any malignancy, and hospitalization with AECOPD or COPD in the prior year. LIMITATIONS: The study included only hospitalized AECOPD patients among prevalent COPD patients. Furthermore, information was lacking on clinical variables. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that AECOPD hospitalizations are associated with substantial mortality and risk of recurrence.

Use of glucocorticoids and risk of venous thromboembolism: a nationwide population-based case-control study.

IMPORTANCE: Excess endogenous cortisol has been linked to venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk, but whether this relationship applies to exogenous glucocorticoids remains uncertain. Because the prevalence of glucocorticoid use and the incidence of VTE are high, an increased risk of VTE associated with glucocorticoid use would have important implications. BACKGROUND: To examine the association between glucocorticoid use and VTE. DESIGN: Population-based case-control study using nationwide databases. SETTING: Denmark (population 5.6 million). PARTICIPANTS: We identified 38,765 VTE cases diagnosed from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2011, and 387,650 population controls included through risk-set sampling and matched by birth year and sex. The VTE diagnosis date for the case was the index date for cases and matched controls. EXPOSURE: We classified individuals who filled their most recent glucocorticoid prescription 90 days or less, 91 to 365 days, and more than 365 days before the index date as present, recent, and former users, respectively. Present users were subdivided into new (first-ever prescription 90 days or less before the index date) and continuing users (others). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We used conditional logistic regression adjusted for VTE risk factors to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% CIs for glucocorticoid users vs nonusers. RESULTS: Systemic glucocorticoids increased VTE risk among present (adjusted IRR, 2.31; 95% CI, 2.18-2.45), new (3.06; 2.77-3.38), continuing (2.02; 1.88-2.17), and recent (1.18; 1.10-1.26) users but not among former users (0.94; 0.90-0.99). The adjusted IRR increased from 1.00 (95% CI, 0.93-1.07) for a prednisolone-equivalent cumulative dose of 10 mg or less to 1.98 (1.78-2.20) for more than 1000 to 2000 mg, and to 1.60 (1.49-1.71) for doses higher than 2000 mg. New use of inhaled (adjusted IRR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.72-2.86) and intestinal-acting (2.17; 1.27-3.71) glucocorticoids also increased VTE risk. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The risk of VTE is increased among glucocorticoid users. Although residual confounding may partly explain this finding, we consider a biological mechanism likely because the association followed a clear temporal gradient, persisted after adjustment for indicators of severity of underlying disease, and existed also for noninflammatory conditions. Hence, our observations merit clinical attention.

Use of ß-blockers and mortality following ovarian cancer diagnosis: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Experimental data suggest that catecholamine hormones are involved in stimulating the aggressiveness of ovarian cancer, but few population-based studies have examined this association. We therefore conducted a population-based cohort study to examine whether ß-blockers affect mortality following ovarian cancer diagnosis. METHODS: We used the Danish Cancer Registry to identify all patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer in northern Denmark between 1999 and 2010 (n=6,626). Data on medication use, comorbidity, and survival were obtained from medical databases. According to the last redeemed prescription before diagnosis, ß-blocker use was categorized as current (within ≤90 days), previous (>90 days) or never. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS: Among the ovarian cancer patients, 373 (5.6%) were current, 87 (1.3%) previous, and 6,166 (93.1%) were nonusers of ß-blockers. Median duration of use was 19.0 months among current users and 43.0 months among previous users. Median follow-up was 2.55 years (IQR: 0.81-9.23). Nonusers and current users of ß-blockers had similar comorbidity burden whereas previous users had moderate comorbidity more frequently. Compared with nonusers, the adjusted HR was 1.17 (95% CI: 1.02-1.34) for current users and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.90-1.55) for previous users. Secondary analyses stratifying by cancer stage and duration of ß-blocker use supported the overall results. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that ß-blocker use was associated with decreased mortality following ovarian cancer diagnosis.